“I was much looser and freer”: The Michael Keaton Movie That Helped Ron Howard Get His Sh*t Together
Ron Howard is one of the Hollywood veterans and legendary names when it comes to cinema. The actor/director, however, had his struggle in the early years of his career trying to find the magic that was not happening with the flow.
A Michael Keaton movie by the director eventually paved the way for him to achieve several accolades in the later part of his career. Howard has two Academy Awards, four Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Grammy Award to his name.
Ron Howard Found Cinematic Magic With Michael Keaton
Ron Howard was really struggling to find the cinematic magic. The actor who transitioned to be a director, admitted that he had done a few bad films in the early part of his career which includes his 1977 debut movie, Grand Theft Auto. “I was a little disappointed in my first movie, and the first couple of TV movies I made after that, I just felt like the magic wasn’t happening, you know?” Howard said while speaking with the Directors Guild of America.
“But by the time I was doing Night Shift [1982], which was my first high-profile film but maybe my fifth or sixth undertaking as a director, I was much looser and freer. I was able to let Michael Keaton run with that wild character, and to trust him. He and Henry Winkler both had the green light to ad-lib, but we also had a fantastic script by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel”.
Batman star Michael Keaton played Bill Blazejowski. For Howard, the 1982 comedy movie starring Keaton cleared the roadblocks he was having in the filmmaking process itself. Since then, Howard has been unstoppable in achieving the greatest accolades to his name.
Ron Howard On His Debut Movie
Howard was just 23 when he sat on the director’s chair for the first time. Although the director was keen on directing independent movies as the wave of it was just hitting Hollywood, he left his unfinished indie movie to go work “in the system.” “I could go make an independent movie of my own. Which I started to do—a Cassavetes-style movie, improvisationally based—but I didn’t finish because I went to work for Roger Corman instead,” he told Directors Guild of America.
“The first day of shooting was the day after my 23rd birthday. I will admit that I was behind in my personal schedule, I was running late. I really wanted to direct a film in my teens. Hubris of youth. I was very anxious that first day. I read an article a few years ago in which Corman said I was one of the coolest, calmest first-day directors he’d ever seen. But I was really jumpy, and the first half of that first day didn’t go very well; I only got about four or five setups. Gary Graver, the cinematographer, sat down with me at lunch and we figured out how to avoid some problems and simplify a few things. He saved my ass. I literally thought I might get fired at lunch.”
Despite his dislike, his first movie has certainly introduced Howard to the nitty-gritty of the industry. Thanks to Roger Corman, Hollywood has produced one legendary star who has a legacy of a career spanning over six decades.
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